The trouble with making stuff is that you sit on your backside a lot. In fact I spent the whole of Saturday on mine. Tempting as it was to finish another project today, I decided I really needed to get outside and raise my heart rate a bit, before it decides to give up all together. Motivation wasn’t high and it was a struggle to get myself up and changed, let alone out the door; it’s been cloudy today and looked like rain, the last thing I wanted was a soaking. I spent a while muttering under my breath, listening to the voices in my head – the lazy arse one versus the virtuous one. The virtuous one won out (for a change) and I dragged myself outside, for what I decided would be a short ride down to the coast. About 8 miles in total, I thought. What I didn’t expect though, was to want to go for a three mile walk along the cliffs when I got there. Damn the beauty of the place; I blame that for my aching limbs.
The road down to Chapel Porth, with a National Trust cafe at the bottom.
Once I’d got down to Chapel Porth, I thought I deserved a cup of hot chocolate before I braved the wind on top of the cliffs, so joined the queue at the little National Trust cafe nestled in the valley. I stood there for a few seconds and then…ello, I thought, I recognise that there lady in the queue in front of me. My lovely friends Sue and Francis were out for the afternoon with their niece and nephew (back from a tour of Europe. I’m not jealous, really I’m not. No not at all.) and the fools were buying ICE CREAM. I tell you, the end of October on the north coast of Cornwall is not a warm place. Think gale force winds and icy water. Ice cream? Mad as hatters.
For a change I decided not to walk up the east cliffs and take a chance on the west (the ones on the left of the picture above!). Good choice. It’s a mere mile and a half to the next beach at Porthtowan. Three miles there and back seemed ok, considering that the 4 mile ride back home would be mostly up hill. It was so worth it, just take at look at these pictures.
Looking down at Chapel Porth beach. Wow!
Stunning light, no?
I even took time to make a couple of scribbles
in a small, portable sketchbook
Then there were more rugged rocks at Wheal Charlotte, along the coastal path
and I was just in time to see the sunset at Porthtowan.
Sometimes my virtuous voice really does know best. It was dusk when I got back to Chapel Porth and I stood in a shelter from the wind to put the lights on my bike and some dubious flashing armbands on my arms, before I started off up the hill. As it got darker I thought that the armbands and my flashing rear end probably made me look like a cycling christmas tree. And I think I felt almost cheerful.
